Founded by two young American expatriates in London in 1971, the Hard Rock Cafe was always an improvisation. Its initial mission was to serve American diner-style food and be a place – unknown in the London of the day – where students, artists and secretaries might mingle comfortably with bankers and barristers, American diner-style. Beyond that, the owners, Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett, would play it as it lays. Soon, the Hard Rock Cafe on Old Park Lane, with its late, diner-style hours and youthful vibe, had evolved into a haven for musicians – like Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton – to grab a beer and relax.
The memorabilia collection started quite by accident as well. At the time, there was virtually no one collecting rock memorabilia. It would be a long time before Sotheby’s would be auctioning multi-million-dollar guitars – a long time before such a thing was anything but laughable. So one day Clapton is at the Cafe talking to Isaac Tigrett, asking could he hang a plaque in order to save the guitarist’s favorite table. Isaac says, in effect, we don’t do plaques. But how about a guitar? A short time after, Eric sends over a red Fender Lead II. A few weeks later, Pete Townshend stops by and spies Clapton’s Fender, and the next day a Gibson Les Paul arrives with a note that reads: “Mine’s as good as his! Love, Pete.”
And so began the Hard Rock memorabilia collection, now the largest and no doubt most valuable in the world, with more than 70,000 pieces – from the red Fender that still hangs in London to the Beatles’ five-ton Magical Mystery Tour bus.
Vertigo partnered with Hard Rock and Duncan/Channon to encompass all memorabilia and corresponding stories into a web 2.0 site.
With 70,000 pieces – and 70,000 stories – it was a daunting task that called for new photography, new copy, a new content management system, as well as development of a new online database with a compelling user interface. While 70,000 pieces would be a few years off, it was critical to Hard Rock management – and to the re-emerging brand – that the site go live, with rich content, as soon as possible.
Want to learn more? Read the Hard Rock International Case Study at Microsoft.com
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